What is the significance of the Gleason Score?
The grade of a prostate cancer specimen is very valuable to doctors in helping them to understand how a particular case of prostate cancer can be treated. In general, the time for which a patient is likely to survive following a diagnosis of prostate cancer is related to the Gleason score. The lower the Gleason score, the better the patient is estimated to do. The Gleason Score is a measurement of how aggressive the cancer can potentially be and significantly impacts treatment decisions.